Nineteen-year-old Samantha Ann Clarke was last seen the night of Sept. 13. She told a family member she was leaving with some friends and would return the next day. No one has heard from her since.

Police say she didn't bring any personal belongings with her, or identification.

Clarke was described as five feet four inches tall and 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She has multiple tattoos, including a pink Playboy Bunny on her right arm, "Tigger" above her right ankle, "Lucky" above her left ankle and a design with two dolphins on her lower back.Samantha also wears glasses. Her ears have multiple piercings including a "bar" on her right ear. Her right nostril, right eyebrow and tongue are pierced.

There is a woman in Orange County approaching the holidays wondering if she will ever be able to celebrate them again with her daughter. Barbara Tinder's 19-year-old daughter, Samantha Ann Clarke, disappeared 10 weeks ago.

Clarke's name has been in the news, but certainly not received the kind of national attention given to Morgan Harrington. That is odd, considering there are enough similarities, that if the Today Show was interested in one, they ought to be interested in the other. But that has not been the case for Clarke's family; their tragedy has played out very differently, and very quietly, at home in Orange.

Barbara Tinder's world is spinning out of control. One question haunts her: where is Samantha?

"She's a sweet girl," said Tinder. "She's got a beautiful smile as you can see in all the fliers we've been posting."

Clarke vanished sometime after midnight on the night of September 13, 2010. She told her 14-year-old brother that she was leaving and she would be home in the morning. So one of the first places police searched were the dense woods only a few steps from her front door.

"The only thing we know that she left with was her key," said Orange Police Chief Jim Fenwick.

When Dan Harrington, Morgan Harrington's father, of heard about the case, he reached out to Tinder."I mean she didn't have a clue," he said.

"It's very hard, each day goes by it gets harder and harder," said Tinder. "I think somebody's done killed her cause my daughter wouldn't go this long without contacting me."

"I knew in my heart on Sunday, Morgan was dead," said Harrington. "My daughter would not have run away."

Two missing person cases and a common denominator, but Samantha's case is getting only a fraction of the attention Morgan's received.

"Was Morgan's case more high profile because of who we are?" asked Harrington.

Maybe; a public relations firm also offered free help to the Harringtons, and he had other advantages.

"My people that I work with at the hospital were very supportive and do what you need to do, and salary continued," Harrington explained.

Time off work is not an option for Barbara.

"But, I mean, my mind hasn't been there, but I have to go try to work cause I mean I still got to live life," she said.

As for the investigation, Orange Police have support from the Orange County Sheriff's Office. Fenwick has also asked Virginia State Police for help, but has not asked them to lead the investigation.

"Anytime we hear of a major crime occurring, we often do reach out to the local police chief or to the local sheriff and offer them whatever resources or assistance they may have," said state police Spokesperson Corinne Gellar. "It is not in our position to just walk in and take over a case."

"At this point, again, we don't know if we have a crime," said Fenwick. "If it gets to a point where we feel it's necessary to turn it over to them, or to whoever, then it will be done."But in Harrington's case, the University of Virginia immediately asked state police to take over. Still Harrington says that is not enough; from the beginning, he and his wife appeared in front of the camera.

"We pushed police," said Harrington. "I think that what we did is that we made ourselves available and we made ourselves vulnerable."

"I go out and post up pictures of her wherever I can go to post them up," said Tinder.

This is the first time Tinder has gone to the media.

"We feel that it's important for her to get the human element of there," said Fenwick. "Out there to make everybody realize that Samantha Clarke is somebody's daughter, just the same as Morgan Harrington."

Both cases remain open. Police have found Harrington's body and investigators are still working to find her killer. Orange police are still hoping Clarke will be returned alive.

Reported by Sharon Gregory

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

OK this is practically in my backyard and this is the first I have heard of this. I wonder if anyone has started a Facebook page for her or is there any place where we can print fliers. I posted Morgan's all over the county, and can certainly do that for Samantha.

OK this is practically in my backyard and this is the first I have heard of this. I wonder if anyone has started a Facebook page for her or is there any place where we can print fliers. I posted Morgan's all over the county, and can certainly do that for Samantha.

Help Find Samantha Clarke Anyone planning to attend the vigil for Samantha is asked to please bring a white candle. The vigil will be held at Veteran's Park on 12/4 at 7pm. Veteran's Park is located on the right near the end of Newton St. Please use 341 Newton St for GPS mapping; the park will be on the right just prior to that. There will be p...lenty of parking along Newton St, and the vigil will be held at the shelter.See More

16 hours ago ·LikeUnlike · Comment · Marie-Eve Barette I wish I could be there... I'll be will with you in thoughts, though, burning a candle for Samantha. May she be found, safe and sound...

7 hours ago · LikeUnlike · Susan Ferguson Burns Please come out and join us as we spread the word to bring my beautiful cousin Samantha home. Please get involved with this not only for Samantha but there are so many others thar are missing and they all need a voice so they can be found and brought home to their loved ones also so please get involved starting with our vigil for Samantha. Thanks to everyone for being involved.about an hour ago via Facebook Mobile .

Samantha Ann Clarke, a 2010 Orange County High School graduate, lived on Lindsay Drive in the town of Orange. She was last seen the night of Sept. 13.

The vigil is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at the Lion’s Pavilion at Veteran’s Park on Newton Street in Orange (behind Orange Elementary School).

According to Orange Police Chief Jim Fenwick, the family filed the missing person report Sept. 15.

“At this point, it looks like she willingly left her residence,” Fenwick said. “It has been uncharacteristic for her to have gone this long without contacting her family.”

The chief has stated he does not believe foul play was involved, but Clarke’s family classifies the circumstances surrounding her departure as bizarre.

On the night of her disappearance, Fenwick said, Clarke told her family that she was visiting friends and would return the following evening. A family member who was upstairs in the home when Clarke left could not provide a description of her clothes or any possible vehicle information.

Clarke stands 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighs 145 pounds and has long, wavy brown hair, usually worn in a bun. She also wears glasses and has several tattoos, including Tigger the Cat on her right ankle, a Playboy bunny on her right shoulder, the word “Luckys” above her left ankle and a dolphin design on her lower back.Clarke’s family has created a Facebook page (“Help Find Samantha Clarke”) and website (FindSamanthaClarke.webs.com) featuring pictures and a description of the young woman.

“I hope [the vigil] will get across [to people] to bring her home,” Tinder said. “I hope she’s safe. I don’t want to think no worse. She’s never done this before, and it’s something she wouldn’t do.”

Tinder describes her daughter as “very friendly, outgoing and smart.”

“To me, she was fine,” Tinder said, addressing her daughter’s emotional and sometimes depressing Facebook posts. “She never discussed that with me.”

Hope Beavers, Clarke’s best friend for the past two years, said Clarke is mainly a cheerful person.

“The only time she got sad or depressed was if a dude upset her,” the 17-year-old OCHS senior said. “Most of the time I’d cheer her up. She was always happy around me. I miss her a lot. Sam is everything to me. I could go to her with anything.”

In an October news release, Fenwick announced that his officers were following numerous reported sightings in Orange and Gordonsville.

“But those tips did not produce any tangible leads,” Fenwick said, calling this case “suspicious in nature due to the fact that it’s an uncharacteristic disappearance.”

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

* Samantha Clarke Candlelight Vigil in OrangeFamily and friends hold a candlelight vigil for Samantha Clarke. Family and friends hold a candlelight vigil for Samantha Clarke.

Freezing temperatures and snow showers did not stop several dozen people from attending a vigil in the town of Orange on Saturday night. Family, friends, and supporters say they don't know where Samantha went, but they are patiently waiting for her to come home. Those attending the vigil at Veteran's Park in the town of Orange lit candles and shared their memories of Clarke.

Clarke's mother, Barbara Tilden says she was touched by the number of people who came out to support her and her family. She says Samantha is a good kid and that it would be unlike her to run off. "She's never done this before. She doesn't go without contact with me. She's always let me know where she was and when she'll be back home. This is not my daughter. She's being held against her will."

Family friend, Sharon Lanford remembered Samantha, "She was a great kid, great kid, and she's just a sweet person, it's just, we don't know what happened. We just don't know what happened. I'm glad to see that several people came. It's very good to have people supporting this."

Tinder also relayed that this holiday has been pretty hard on the family with Samantha missing. She says wherever her daughter is, she just wants to know that she's alright.

The family got help setting up the vigil from Morgan's Warriors. That's the group that works to bring attention to try and find Morgan Harrington's killer. The group says they are simply committed to finding missing people.

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

* Samantha Clarke Candlelight Vigil in OrangeFamily and friends hold a candlelight vigil for Samantha Clarke. Family and friends hold a candlelight vigil for Samantha Clarke.

Freezing temperatures and snow showers did not stop several dozen people from attending a vigil in the town of Orange on Saturday night. Family, friends, and supporters say they don't know where Samantha went, but they are patiently waiting for her to come home. Those attending the vigil at Veteran's Park in the town of Orange lit candles and shared their memories of Clarke.

Clarke's mother, Barbara Tilden says she was touched by the number of people who came out to support her and her family. She says Samantha is a good kid and that it would be unlike her to run off. "She's never done this before. She doesn't go without contact with me. She's always let me know where she was and when she'll be back home. This is not my daughter. She's being held against her will."

Family friend, Sharon Lanford remembered Samantha, "She was a great kid, great kid, and she's just a sweet person, it's just, we don't know what happened. We just don't know what happened. I'm glad to see that several people came. It's very good to have people supporting this."

Tinder also relayed that this holiday has been pretty hard on the family with Samantha missing. She says wherever her daughter is, she just wants to know that she's alright.

The family got help setting up the vigil from Morgan's Warriors. That's the group that works to bring attention to try and find Morgan Harrington's killer. The group says they are simply committed to finding missing people.

http://www2.orangenews.com/news/orange-news/2010/dec/08/clarke-vigil-ar-703231/Clarke vigil 12/08/10By Drew Jackson Despite the falling of this season's first small snowflakes, dozens of area residents gathered in Veteran's Park in Orange Saturday night for a candlelight vigil for missing teenager Samantha Clarke. Those gathered, their faces lit in the darkness by the yellow glow of candles, read and recited poems and offered prayers for the safe return of Clarke, whose disappearance is now in its 12th week.The vigil was organized by Libby Sorensen and Kim Simmons, members of Morgan's Warriors, a group of women formed last year by area residents to raise awareness during the search for Morgan Harrington. "It didn't look like Barbara [Tinder] was getting much support in the search for her daughter, so we decided to do something," said Simmons. "We just encourage people to reach out to her. I have a son of my own and I can't imagine what it would be like if he went missing."Two large pictures of Clarke were placed on a picnic table and surrounded by candles. Next to the pictures were missing person fliers that both Simmons and Sorensen encouraged the crowd to take and distribute."Hang them wherever you can," said Simmons. "Take a few, so that if someone takes one down you can put one back up."Tinder said she was pleased with the turnout for the vigil and that she appreciated the support. "I just want to thank everyone that came out; it was a good turnout," she said.Clarke was last seen in the late evening of Sept. 13 when she told a family member she was leaving, but indicated she would return. The 19-year-old, Orange County High School graduate was formally reported missing two days later."We just hope someone will come forward with information," said Simmons. "Someone must know something."Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Samantha Ann Clarke is asked to contact the Town of Orange Police Department at 672-1491, Orange County Sheriff's Office at 672-1200, or Orange County CrimeSolvers at 672-7200.

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

Samantha Ann Clarke has now been missing more than three months and with no new developments that can be reported in the investigation, her return by the holidays seems unlikely. Orange Police Chief Jim Fenwick said there was no information in the case that he could release at this time, but that the investigation is continuing to move forward.Three weeks ago a vigil was held for Clarke under the shelter at Veteran's Park in Orange. From that vigil, Fenwick said he garnered a few leads, which the department is following up on. Over the course of the investigation, Fenwick said his department has investigated every lead."The number of tips ebbs and flows week to week," said Fenwick. "When we're not following leads we're attempting to get information from [the family's] computers and phone records."Fenwick said the department has been attempting to find information in phones and computers since the beginning of the investigation and has received technical assistance from the state police.Geographically, Orange Police have followed leads throughout the surrounding counties and as far away as Danville."I would say it's 50/50, in county and out of county," said Fenwick. "But there's actually been very little in the town. There's been some, but the bulk [of the leads] have been outside of the town."Fenwick again stressed that the department has no evidence to suggest a crime has been committed, but that according to family members Clarke's silence is worrisome."From what we've been told by the family, Samantha would have called her mother by now, regardless of what she was doing, good or bad," he said. Kim Simmons,a member of "Morgan's Warriors," a group of women organized last year to raise awareness for missing girl Morgan Harrington, said she has been frustrated by area residents telling her Clarke simply ran away as she hangs up missing person's fliers."I don't get the impression she ran away," said Simmons. "She would have contacted a friend by now and she would have definitely contacted Barbara [Tinder, Clarke's mother]."In the time since the vigil, Simmons said Morgan's Warriors has raised $300 to buy Christmas presents for Tinder's son, to help ease the financial burden on the single mother."We've been concentrating on raising money right now, but after the holidays I'm going to look into getting Samantha on a billboard in the area and in the Value Pack [coupon flier]," said Simmons. "We're doing our part to keep things out there."Simmons said she has been very impressed with the diligence of the Orange Police Department in their investigation into finding Samantha."They're not discounting anything," she said.Fenwick said he urges anyone with information on the whereabouts of Clarke to contact the Town of Orange Police Department at 672-1491, Orange County Sheriff's Office at 672-1200, or Orange County CrimeSolvers at 672-7200.

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

An empty stocking hangs on the wall of Barbara Tinder's Orange County apartment. It belongs to her 19-year-old daughter, Samantha Ann Clarke, who went missing from her home on September 13.

Tinder explained, "I'm keeping her picture out there and the word out that she's still missing. Some people still don't even know she's missing, and it's close to being four months."

Since Samantha's disappearance, "Morgan's Warriors," a group of women who came together to support Morgan Harrington's family when she disappeared, have been stepping in to help.

Kim Simmons, of Morgan's Warriors said, "We're trying to aid Barbara in every way we possibly can." The women spent the past three weeks collecting donations to help make Christmas a little brighter for Barbara and her 14-year-old son, Hunter.

"It means a lot knowing that somebody's out there trying to help me get through this. It's very hard" said Tinder.

"Hopefully, this will make it a little bit easier and a little bit brighter" added Simmons. In the meantime, Samantha's family and friends are left hoping and praying for a Christmas miracle.

Reported by Kasey Hott

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

http://www2.orangenews.com/news/2011/jan/19/no-new-info-missing-clarke-ar-784913/No new info on missing ClarkeBy Drew JacksonPublished: January 19, 2011Orange teenager Samantha Clarke has now been missing for more than four months and information surrounding her disappearance remains thin. Police chief Jim Fenwick said there was no new information that could be released regarding the investigation and that his department continues to track down leads."We have no new information that can be released," said Fenwick. "The investigators are not discounting anything."Clarke disappeared the evening of Sept. 13 and was officially reported missing to the police two days later. On that night she told a family member she was leaving and would return."We know that she willingly left her home," said Fenwick.In the past few weeks Fenwick has stressed that the case remains a missing persons investigation and that there is no evidence to suggest a crime has been committed. The growing number of days since Clarke was last seen and the lack of information being released has led Barbara Tinder, Clarke's mother, to become restless. But Fenwick remains cautious over jeopardizing the investigation, keeping a tight lid on the case's details.A lack of information has led some people to come to their own conclusions regarding Clarke and making false claims on websites like Facebook and Myspace. Fenwick said people have taken their own prejudices to the web, posting that Clarke simply ran away, that she has been found and other misinformation."Some people believe she just ran off somewhere," said Fenwick. "If that was the case we believe she would have contacted a family member by now.""I just want answers," said Tinder. "Somebody has to know something and they need to come forward. I'm just trying to hang in here, but it gets harder and harder with no new information."The case has garnered comparisons to last year's search for Morgan Harrington, a case that received far more national attention than Clarke's. Last week Susan Ferguson Burns of Culpeper, a cousin of Clarke's, appeared via phone on the Jane Velez-Mitchell show on HLN, as did Gil and Dan Harrington, Morgan Harrington's parents. Burns said she offered her opinions on the investigation and appeared because she wanted to raise awareness of Clarke's disappearance."I just want her found," she said. "This is not her, to just up and go."The appearance has upset Tinder, who first found out about the show when her son saw his sister's image on the television.Fenwick declined to comment on Burns' appearance on the show, instead deferring to Clarke's immediate family.Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Clarke are encouraged to contact the town of Orange police department at 672-1491, the Orange County sheriff's office at 672-1200 or Orange County CrimeSolvers at 672-7200.

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

http://www.nbc29.com/Global/story.asp?S=13992387Police Search Lake for Clues in Clarke DisappearancePosted: Feb 08, 2011 3:23 PM CST Updated: Feb 08, 2011 4:32 PM CST Investigators have now spent four days at a lake in Greene County, looking for clues in the disappearance of Samantha Ann Clarke. The teenager vanished from her home last September.

The town of Orange chief of police says they don't get many leads in the case but when they do, they are certainly going thoroughly to investigate them.

Town police along with both Greene and Orange County sheriff deputies spent the past four days at a lake in the Greene acres neighborhood, near the town of Stanardsville. The Virginia State Police search and recovery dive teams were also called in to scour the bottom of the lake. But authorities say nothing was found. ::snipping2::video http://www.nbc29.com/global/category.asp?c=175568&clipId=5547186&autostart=true

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton

http://www2.greene-news.com/news/gcn-news/2011/jun/29/clarke-case-top-priority-ar-1141889/Clarke case is top priorityBy Drew Jackson | Central Virginia Weekly Group ReporterPublished: June 29, 2011 ::snipping2::"Our goal is to find Samantha Clarke, but if foul play is found in the end, our job is to bring that person or persons to justice," said Fenwick. "In the case of foul play, if the potential suspects get away because of a mistake we made that would be unforgiveable."

Fenwick said that since the last search of Greene Acres lake on April 27 no organized search has been conducted.

As it has no dive team, the Orange Police must rely on the teams of outside agencies, notably the state police, for assistance and Fenwick said the Virginia State Police dive team has been working other cases recently.

Previously, Fenwick said that draining the 27-acre lake in Greene County was a possibility his agency would explore if necessary and the chief said that remains an option, albeit a difficult one. To drain the lake, Fenwick said the police department would need to consult with the Commonwealth's Attorney's office and that other court orders would need to be issued. In addition to that, the lake could only be drained at the rate of six inches per day, said Fenwick.

"It's definitely not a simple process," said Fenwick. "It's not as simple as there one day and gone another. It's a long process, but one we'll explore if we feel we'll get the results we're looking for."

Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Samantha Ann Clarke is asked to contact the Town of Orange Police Department at (540) 672-1491, Orange County Sheriff's Office at (540) 672-1200, or Orange County CrimeSolvers at (540) 672-7200.

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~241~ "The Longer You Love,The Longer You Live,The Stronger You Feel,The More You Can Give."~ Peter Frampton